Frozen Heart
by thexlightxwithinxthexdarkness
Summary: I knew I was falling...that much was sure. But how far would I fall...until someone caught me? .:Riku/OC:.
1. Awakening

_Okay, basic summary of this prologue thingy...._

I just seriously came up with this, and I thought it would be fun to write in first person so....ta-da!! XD

I'm currently working on another chapter story right now, so this one may or may not be updated as fast...so just bear with me on that, okay? =)

Happy reading,

kingdomheartsgirl1770 =P

* * *

Falling...

Falling...

Falling...into Darkness...

What was this? These pictures in my mind....so vivid....where was I? My feet touched solid stained glass, the vibrant colors shining brightly in the omnipresent darkness.

_**So much to do, so little time...**_

A voice rang through my head, as clear as if the person was standing right next to me. What did they mean....? Was this...real?

_**Take your time...**_

I stayed in the spot where I was, feet rooted firmly to the ground. There was no way I was moving.

_**Don't be afraid...**_

_**The door is still shut.**_

_**Now, step forward. **_

_**Can you do it?**_

I don't know what it was, whether it was instinct or just pure knowing, but something told me to trust the voice inside my head. I took a deep breath, taking one step forward. After all, the first step is always the hardest, right?

As soon as I had done that, three intricately formed stone blocks rose up out of the ground. Two long samurai swords floated above one, another stone held what looked to be an intricately formed magic staff—the handle was blue and white, the crystal it was topped with was clear as pure diamonds. I had never seen anything like it in my life. The last weapon was a golden shield, adorned with the crest of a heart.

_**Power sleeps within you.**_

_**If you give it form...**_

_**It will give you strength.**_

_**Choose well.**_

I shrugged, thinking that whatever...or wherever I was, it wouldn't hurt to at least cooperate with the voice. I didn't even have to think about the weapon I would choose. Running over to the staff, I let my right hand encircle it, my fingers brushing against the cool, smooth surface.

_**You've chosen the power of magic.**_

_**Is this the power you seek?**_

I didn't really know how to answer...

"Yes," I whispered pitifully. This was starting to get just a _little _creepy.

_**You've gained the power to fight.**_

_**There will be times you have to fight.**_

_**Keep your light burning strong.**_

The staff disappeared, then reappeared in my hand---this time in the form of a large key. It was sky blue and white, the handle around the blade of the weapon forming a heart. A small key chain dangled off of the end, the charm...looked like a snowflake...

_**Behind you!**_

The voice's urgency made me spin around in surprise, only to find two ant-shaped creatures looking back at me with large yellow eyes. They twitched and moved in strange ways, and it almost looked like they were missing something...

I gripped my "key" tighter, holding it close to my body, ready to defend myself. The creatures lunged at me, claws extended. It took a couple of swipes to eliminate them all, but it was possible. I gasped for breath—my mind swirling with possible answers.

Could it be...? Had I seen this before?

_**Hold on. The door won't open just yet.**_

_**First, tell me more about yourself.**_

I made another move to try to get out of this place, but a bright light stopped me, and before I knew it, I was surrounded by three of my best friends—Sky, Becky, and Grace. They stood there, before me, calm expressions on their faces. I walked up to Sky first—she was always the logical one. "Hey, Sky, do you k--"

"What are you most afraid of?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"What are you most afraid of?"

"Losing someone I love. Why? You know what, just tell--"

"What do you want out of life?"

It was Becky who had spoken this time. I turned to her, a bewildered expression on my face.

"You guys! What's going on?"

Becky repeated her question again. "What do you want out of life?"

I thought about this for a moment, peeved at the thought of how absurd it was to be answering these questions now...

"To be strong."

"Being strong? Is that really so important?"

Grace was now the third person to speak—surely, she would tell me. "Grace, you're freaking me out. Please stop this and tell me what's going on!"

She just smiled. "If you had to sacrifice yourself for someone you loved, would you do it—with no hesitation?"

"Of course I would! Now tell me what's--"

_**The day you will open the door is both far off and very near.**_

I raised my arm up to shield my face from the same bright light from before—only to find myself trapped in the same nothingness I had been in five minutes ago. "Someone tell me what's going on!!" I ran to the center of the platform, straight into a beam of light. A long shadow formed behind me, stretching at least half the width of the stained glass.

_**The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow becomes.**_

I gasped when it started rising up from the ground, becoming a humongous figure more than fifteen times my size. Long tendrils of darkness wrapped around its face, its glowing yellow eyes more menacing than its counterparts. A huge, gaping hole in the creature's chest—shaped like a heart—was the most dominant aspect. But I didn't pay attention to that. I was too busy trying to run for my life. I almost toppled over the edge, sending myself into oblivion, but I caught myself just in time. The Dark...heartless creature was still there, looming over me. My Key-weapon appeared in my hand, but this time, I didn't want to fight. I was—dare I say it? Scared?

_**But don't be afraid.**_

I raised my blade up towards the monster, pointing it directly at the center of its body. A beam of bluish light erupted from the tip, engulfing the dark figure in its flames. It let out a horrible scream of pain, but soon disappeared, leaving me speechless and confused.

No. Now I was sure I had seen this before. But where?

Dark pools of darkness appeared beneath my feet, pulling me down into its depths. I struggled wildly to try to break free, reaching a hand out into the cold, empty air, hoping for a miracle.

_**And don't forget...**_

Suddenly, a warm hand gripped mine and the darkness evaporated in less than a second. I raised my eyes to see my savior's own.

_**--But don't be afraid...**_

And I was surprised.

_**You hold the mightiest weapon of all.**_

They weren't a color I had expected.

_**So don't forget:**_

_**You are the one who will open the door.**_

As the unreal world faded into darkness before my eyes, the only color that remained was a deep sea green—the same color as mine.


	2. Face to Face

Disclaimer: I don't own KH. Does it look like I do?

(1) These lyrics are from "Breathe" by Anna Nalick. They don't belong to me.

Enjoy!

khgirl1770 =P

P.S. Review please!

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"Aislinn? Aislinn! Helloooo? Did you hear me?"

I squinted my eyes as the sound of a voice reached my ears. "No....gotta....fight the....Heartless..."

"Heartless? Linn, what are you talking about?"

"Darkness....key.......door....what....NO!" I bolted upright from the park bench that I was sitting on, nearly stumbling over my seat in the process. In consequence, I obtained a major head rush—like the ones you feel after, well...standing up too fast.

I shook my head to clear it, and met the confused and worried eyes of Sky, my best friend. "Linn, are you okay? You were talking in your sleep..."

I smiled tentatively, reassuring her. "It's nothing, Sky, I promise. Just some weird dream, that's all."

She rolled her eyes at me, and smiled widely. "Riiiight. Sure. Whatever you say, Aislinn...."

Sky was sixteen years old, with wavy shoulder-length brown hair and dark brown eyes. When I first met her, she had worn glasses, but she had switched to contacts in high school. She had an amazing sense of humor, she had a 4.0 GPA—I had a 3.8—and she was also a really good writer. I pursed my lips and laughed softly as I realized—these were just _some _of the reasons she was my best friend.

I sat back down on the park bench and rested my chin in my hands. I took in the familiar sight of my favorite park in town—Lemontree Park. It was always busy with some sort of activity, and on Fridays, Sky, Becky, Grace and I—Becky and Grace being my other two best friends--would come there to just hang out and talk about....stuff.

We hardly saw each other during the week—all our schedules were different—so this was a perfect way to relax and just get away from everything for a while. Unfortunately, Becky and Grace had been selected to go on a trip to New York City to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They were both amazing artists, and when they had received the letter, they had been ecstatic. I missed them, but I knew they must be having the time of their lives.

I could imagine Becky just walking through the large city—impassive and able to deal with anything anyone could throw at her. Her waist length blond hair would probably be in a ponytail. She hardly ever wore it like that—but I always noticed that when she drew, she would put her hair up to keep it out of her face.

Grace, on the other hand, would be a completely different story. I laughed again as I imagined her—eyes wide, mouth hanging open as she took in the sight of the tall skyscrapers and the immense masses of people. Grace had pin-straight black hair, reaching to her shoulder blades. She, like Sky, had dark brown eyes—and was also extremely smart.

Who was I kidding? I couldn't live without any of them.

Now who's left to describe? Oh.

Me.

Well.....

I was sixteen years old, with auburn hair that reached to my shoulder blades. I had a slim figure—not skinny, but not overweight, either. My face was sort of heart shaped, my lips were almost always turned up into a half-smile. My eyes....

My eyes were...unusual.

They were almond-shaped, fringed with thick, long black lashes. The irises were the color of my favorite shade of green. They were a bright, almost neon-colored aquamarine. When I was born, my mother had absolutely adored my eyes, even though each and every doctor in the hospital had been freaking out—they must have thought something was wrong with me.

I had grown up as sort of an outcast because of my eyes. Or maybe that wasn't the reason...

Anyway, Sky was the first one to overcome whatever aversion the other kids had against me in middle school. The first thing she had actually said to me was, "Hey, cool eyes! Where can I get some like that?"

We had been best friends ever since.

Becky had followed, along with Grace. Since then, we had been inseparable, like...four peas in a pod. Nothing could break us apart. And when I say nothing, I mean _nothing. _

Now, we were just beginning our junior year of high school, and I had a strange feeling that things were about to change.

I didn't know what, but I don't know...ah, who was I kidding?

Sounds like something out of some soap opera or something....

I sighed, and the memories of my dream came flooding back to me. Where had I been? And that weapon.....

That key....

It was so beautiful...and I could sense it was powerful, too. But what was it for? And more importantly, what did all of this have to do with me?

And those eyes.....

Those eyes had saved me. Who had that been?

"Hey, Linn, I just got a text from my mom. She wants me home, so...I gotta go. You'll be okay?"

I stood up, brushing myself off, and raising my hand to shield my eyes from the bright sunlight. "Will I be okay? Sky, you worry too much. There's nothing to worry about, anyway."

Sky smiled, slung her messenger bag over her shoulder and waved at me, already ten steps away.

"See you later, Linny!"

"It's Aislinn!" I yelled.

I watched for a few minutes as I saw Sky get in her car and drive off, and was soon making my way through the grass soccer field towards my house.

I only lived a couple of blocks from the park, an easy five minute walk. I shoved my hands in my jean pockets and looked up at the sky.

It was clear blue today, hardly any clouds. The sun was out in force, and since it was the middle of December, the cold wind blew harshly around my body. But the strange thing was, no matter how cold it was outside, I never needed a coat. No matter if it was thirty-two degrees or at least twenty, I was perfectly fine with walking outside in shorts and t-shirts.

But I hadn't really tested that fact with temperatures below twenty degrees, so that wasn't a solid fact.

There. Only two blocks left to go. A couple more minutes and I would be--

A sharp pain shot through my head, making me cringe and grab my head with both hands. There was this sort of ringing sound reverberating through my ears—and it just wouldn't stop.

I'm sure I was screaming, but the question was—why wasn't anyone there to help me?

By this time, the wind was blowing so hard that my hair whipped around my face, stinging my skin with its ends. The force of it made me stumble a couple of steps forward, but that was nothing compared to the pain shooting through my body.

_**Chosen one...**_

_**Door to light...**_

_**Princess of Eternal Winter...**_

_**Keyblade...**_

"WHAT DO YOU WANT, YOU STUPID VOICE? JUST TELL ME WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON!!!"

Suddenly, the wind around me stopped and an eerie calm settled around me. I was still standing, and I eased open my eyes to survey my surroundings.

Darkness.

That's all I could see.

The sky was a mix of purple and black, small lights of silver dotting random points on the seemingly flat surface.

The pain in my head had subsided, but a sharp edge of it was still there in the back of my mind.

I looked around, but the sight was all the same.

Darkness.

I walked around aimlessly, hoping to find some sight of life—or proof of existence.

I found none.

* * *

"But you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable--" I kicked a stone with my foot, pausing to remember the next part of the song, "And life's like an hourglass glued to the table...No one can find the rewind button now—sing it if you understand..." (1)

It had been exactly one hour, forty-two minutes and seventeen seconds since the darkness had first shown up.

I wondered mindlessly where Sky was, or my parents. Mom would be worried sick. Dad wouldn't be home; he was at work ninety-nine percent of the time, anyway.

What if something had happened to them?

Oh my gosh, where was I?

"SOMEBODY!! ANYONE!!!!"

The only thing that I heard was an echo of my own voice.

But, wait---was that a jingle of chains that I heard? And a sort of whooshing sound followed by the sound of—wind chimes?

"Ah, Aislinn, might you be lost?"

I spun around at the mention of my name, my eyes narrowed.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?"

A figure in a black cloak stood before me, hood covering his face.

"Let's not ask so many questions at once, shall we?" The man—I presumed from his voice—reached his hands up and drew back his hood—and my face became a mask of horror as I took in his face. He had bright blue hair, reaching to his shoulders. His golden yellow eyes reminded me of a cat, one that stalks his prey. An x-shaped scar ran across the bridge of his nose and continued up onto his forehead and down to the middle of his face. His lips were a mix between a smirk and a frown, and it was hard to distinguish what he was feeling.

But in that same second, I got that same strange feeling when I had fought the creatures in my dream. This man, like other..._things _I had fought, was missing something. Something vital.

I drew my hand back towards my chest and took one step back. "I have a better idea. How about you just leave me alone?"

My voice was hard and cold—I was surprised at that—but inside I was collapsing from fear.

He, in response, took one step closer to me. "I'm afraid I can't do that." He held out a black gloved hand to me, his hand outstretched and open.

I scoffed, still fearful. "What? You expect me to come with you willingly?"

A smile was definitely on his face now.

He raised a hand up into the air, clenching it into half a fist. In less than half a second, a large hammer type of weapon was in his hand, and he slung it across his body like a guitar.

Large electric currents emanated from his hands, his weapon, his entire body. His eyes took on a greenish glow, and that same color aura emanated from his body.

I could have sworn I could feel my heart jump out of my chest.

I whirled around, sprinting away from this crazed lunatic.

I wasn't fast enough. Of course not.

He was suddenly in front of me, and he whirled his beserker-style weapon around his body effortlessly like a feather, sending it towards me.

It came in contact with my side, and I screamed in pain as I flew across the ground, hearing the grotesque sound of a few of my ribs snapping.

I groaned, lying on my back. There was no way I could get up now. The golden-eyed man was suddenly above me, his weapon raised to crush my skull. My eyes widened, and my face became an expression of sheer terror.

_So this is it then...I'm going to die._

A crackle of electricity was somehow louder than my own thoughts, and as I focused in more on the man's figure, I could see that, behind him, there was a large sphere of dark energy coming right towards him.

It collided with him square in the back, sending him flying over and behind me. I heard the same whooshing sound from before and then...nothing. My attacker was gone.

I pushed myself up with my hands...

and screamed out in pain. I couldn't move. I slumped back to the ground, writhing in agony.

Someone knelt down next to me, and brushed my hair away from my face.

I cringed away from this unfamiliar touch, trying to slap the person's hand away. "Don't...touch me..."

"I promise, I'm not gonna hurt you."

The voice I heard then was undeniably smooth and soft, reassuring and gentle, but it conveyed something deeper than that—understanding? Empathy?

I opened my eyes slowly, resting them on my savior's face.

I was met with a cascade of silver hair and aquamarine eyes.

The same eyes from my dream.

His face was defined and perfect—reminded me a little of Michelangelo's _David—_and his arms were muscular...and, well...perfect.

His eyes searched my face for any recognition—maybe he was trying to figure out who I was?--and he gasped when his eyes met mine.

I cringed, half-expecting him to abandon me, leaving me here broken and hurt.

But, in that same second, the expression of shock that crossed his face was gone. Vanished. He smiled tentatively and started to speak again.

"What's your name?"

Ah. That silky, smooth voice..."Huh?"

"Your name?" His voice was a little impatient now.

"Oh, right. My name's--" I took a deep breath, and gasped when my side responded with pain. I bit my lip, speaking through my teeth.

"My name's Aislinn."

He chuckled softly, for a reason I didn't know. "Mine's Riku."

If I would have been coherent, I would have raised one eyebrow. "Riku?"

He raised his own silver eyebrows, probably expecting me to make a comeback with some snappy remark.

I smiled softly. "Riku." I let the sounds of the word roll off of my tongue, testing it with my voice.

It sounded...beautiful.

"Riku." I looked him in the eyes, and smiled a little wider this time, ignoring the searing pain in my side. "That's—nice."

He smiled again, and nodded once. He held up a hand to me, his eyebrows raised questioningly.

"Do you mind if I heal you?"

"Heal? What?"

He tilted his head to the side. "Haven't you ever used magic before?"

"Magic?" I laughed, but it was cut off abruptly with a groan. "The only magic I've ever used is unlimited text messaging on my phone. But other than that, I—oh. Wait. Take that back."

His expression grew the tiniest bit excited. "You have?"

I waved my hand away, dismissing it. "It was just a dream though."

Well, that sure piqued his interest. He didn't speak again, he simply pursed his lips—he looked like he was in deep thought.

Riku placed his hand on my side, and his cool touch was extremely calming. I winced, getting ready for some sort of pain. Instead, a greenish glow emanated from his hand, and a tingling sensation spread throughout my whole body.

I felt peaceful, light...

But then, my whole body went completely numb, and I got so tired that I couldn't keep my eyes open.

"What...did...you...do to...me?" I mumbled. The words came out half-strangled. Had this guy drugged me or something?

I felt him pick me up in his arms easily, and my body swayed back and forth from side to side. He was taking me somewhere. "Where—are we...going? Who...are...you...?"

"Shhh. Just sleep for now."

I can remember, my last thought was:

_What's gonna happen to me now?_


	3. Frozen

**Disclaimer: I do not own KH, any of its characters, weapons, or anything else. DO. NOT. OWN. All I own is Aislinn. That's it.**

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The first feeling that came to my mind was a sense of nothingness. My body and soul felt detached from one another, and I felt like I was floating. But after that, my memories returned, and I remembered the boy with silver hair, Riku.

What had he done to me?

My aquamarine eyes fluttered open, my pupils adjusting to the harsh sunlight that hit them. I could faintly hear the gentle, soothing sounds of waves hitting a shoreline somewhere off in the distance, and for the first moment since I had woken up, I could feel the sand beneath my tired body.

Where in the hell was I?

I sat up sluggishly, my body still aching from my "fight" with Saïx. I was a complete and total loser. I didn't even hit him, earned a few broken ribs, and on top of all that, had to be the damsel in distress, the ultimate Mary-Sue.

To sum it all up, I was pissed.

But I could think about that later. What was important now was figuring out what Riku had done to me—I internally scolded myself as I thought about how beautiful his eyes were—and where I was.

After a few minutes of painful movement, I was finally standing—my face in awe of my surroundings.

A beautiful, calm ocean was all I could see; it stretched out farther than the line of the horizon. The shining, pure white sand radiated the softest level of heat and glittered like diamonds in the sun. Beautiful palm trees were clustered in groups all along the mainland, and a particular island held a disfigured one, but this one was different from all the others. There were star-shaped fruits hanging from the top of it, and I wondered what they were for.

"You're awake."

The voice that reached my ears was not one that I wanted to face right now, and I narrowed my eyes as I turned to face its source.

"Let's skip the formalities, shall we? What the hell did you do to me, Riku?"

His eyebrows shot up in surprise, and his mouth twisted up into a smirk. "Tsk. Tsk. Language. That's not good for your health, you know?"

By the time he finished his last sentence, I was fuming. I stalked angrily up to him, and pointed a finger in his face.

"One. Don't you ever talk to me like that ever again. Two. I will cuss when I want to, and there's nothing you can do about it. Three. You WILL tell me what you did to me, or you are in for one hell of a beating."

THIS comment caused him to smirk even wider, earning him my Death Glare. (1)

The next thing he knew, my fist was flying towards the side of his face. Did I mention that I had a bit of a temper? But the thing that aggravated me was that in the second I had started to punch him, Riku had already raised a hand up, caught my hand, and twisted my arm backwards. He had me in an unbreakable death grip, my arm in a painful position.

No matter how hard I struggled, he wouldn't let me go. "You idiot! Let go of me!"

I could almost hear the smile in his voice when he said, "Say you're sorry."

"Like hell I will!" This caused my arm to be bent backwards even further, and I let out a cry of pain. But I wasn't giving in that easily.

"Say it, Aislinn."

"No."

"Yes." An inch farther, and my arm would surely break.

Damn. This would hurt my ego.

"Fine. I'm sorry. Now let go of me!" He let go, and I could have sworn I heard my shoulder pop back into place. Huh. He had dislocated it.

"You—you--damn you! What is wrong with you?"

"Hey, don't be such a sore loser! Can you handle this?" I spun around, coming face to face with a spiky-haired, blue eyed boy wielding a large gold and silver key.

My mouth fell open in shock as I realized what it was. "You have a Keyblade too?"

The boy's face now matched my own. "What? Riku, how does she...?"

Riku merely shrugged. "I don't know."

The brown-haired boy directed his gaze back to me, his eyes excited. "Can you summon it?"

"Um....I don't know. How do I--"

"Just think about it. Visualize it in your hand. It'll come to you." I half-turned to face Riku, his face sporting an impassive expression. I could see behind that mask though. Suppressing a laugh, I realized he was just as excited as his friend.

Too bad there was nothing to be excited about. I could hardly street fight. "Here goes..."

I closed my eyes, thinking about the beautiful, mysterious weapon that had presented itself to me in that dark and black abyss. The shape of the handle—the colors a beautiful mix of light and dark blues, the delicate keychain that resembled a snowflake, the cool calming feeling that I sensed whenever the weapon was in my hand...

And just like that, it was there in all its glory. I held it tightly and confidently in my left hand—that was another thing about me, I was left-handed—and smirked at the brown-haired boy, who was watching me in amazement.

"Care to get this party started?"

He nodded once, running up to me, Keyblade at the ready. Just by watching this first move, I knew this was going to be one heck of a fight.

At first, the boy's attack pattern was pretty simple. Slash. Slash. Retreat.

Slash. Slash. Retreat.

I defended with each slash, threw in a couple of swipes of my own, and took those few moments of retreats to catch my breath. The battle seemed to be droning on forever, and I hoped that it would end soon. But then the boy did something I didn't expect.

He summoned fire. With that one word, tendrils of hot, enchanted flame encircled his body, and the Keyblade wielder sent it towards me.

I froze, paralyzed with fear. If there was one thing I was afraid of more than anything else, it was that damned element.

I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think.

Fear was controlling me.

The far-off shouts of Riku were unintelligible to my ears, and I didn't see the spiky-haired boy running to help me. All I could see were those flames.

But then my Keyblade started to glow, and I was soon enveloped in a crystal sphere, suspended in the air.

I don't know what happened in the ten seconds between when I was contained in the sphere to when I woke up. All I know is what happened afterwards.

The ice shattered into a million little fragments, and I was left floating in mid-air. My regular jeans and a T-shirt combo had been replaced by a sheer-sleeved long, white dress. The side of it was split all the way up to the middle of my thigh, crystals adorning the waist. My body felt cold, like my veins were filled with ice. The strange feeling didn't hurt, it only felt...natural.

But on closer inspection, I noticed one huge detail.

My hair was silver.

"The heck?" I floated gracefully down to the ground, my fear of those flames long since gone. It seemed that they had disappeared between the time I was...whatever the heck I had just done. I looked down at my right hand, astonished at the other Keyblade I held.

It was mainly a silver color, the handle looking like it was formed in the shape of delicate angel wings. The blade itself was shaped in a way where part of it formed a heart, and the very tip formed a multicolored blue and yellow star. The Keychain was the same as my own—a small blue snowflake. (2)

_**Oathkeeper...**_

"Oathkeeper." I repeated.

"Aislinn?"

I turned around, only to come face to face with Riku and the other boy I had been fighting with. Both of them had their Keyblades drawn, to my surprise, and they stood in a defensive position. Sora looked at me with the stupidest expression I have ever seen in my sixteen years, and Riku looked absolutely—entranced?

I walked up to him, waving a hand in front of his face. "Hello? Anybody there?" I poked his head with my index finger, only to have him draw back in shock.

"Damn it, Aislinn! You're freakin' freezing!"

I cocked my head to the side. "What?"

"Have you seen what you look like?" The brown-haired boy finally spoke, his expression becoming a little more controlled.

"No...should I...?" Riku suddenly walked over to me, pushing me towards the ocean. The touch of his hands on my shoulders made me shiver, and I cussed myself out internally yet again.

When I finally reached the glistening blue water, my heart stopped beating for one millisecond when I saw the girl looking back at me. That wasn't me. It couldn't be.

The—stranger's—eyes were the same sea green color as my own, framed with lashes that were covered in ice. Her skin was pale and chalky, but the beautiful kind—it sparkled like a million tiny diamonds. The dress she wore was made of pure, white silk, hugging her slim form tightly. Her hair was a snow-white silver, reaching down to her waist. It framed her face lovingly, the wind pulling it every direction.

I had noticed this earlier, but this wasn't me. This was a stranger. I reached a hand out to place it on that girl's reflection, but when my hand touched the water—a small fraction of it turned to ice. With that one touch, I knew.

I wasn't Aislinn anymore.

I backed up in fear, stumbling over the train of my dress. "No. No. No. No. That's—that's not me. That's a..stranger...No. NO!"

I was crying now, frozen tears falling down my cheeks. I drew my knees up to my chest, folded my arms across them and sobbed even more.

"What the hell is going on? I was going home, I had just talked to Sky, my life is normal. Mom, Dad.....Becky, Grace. No. No. Keyblades...this is crap, this ISN'T REAL!!!!"

I was shouting now, on my feet, shaking in uncontrollable rage. My hands had started to glow, silver orbs forming in my hands.

In a matter of a few seconds, a burst of energy had released itself from my body, sending out a shockwave throughout the whole island. Riku and his friend were thrown back into the water, and when they resurfaced, I had changed back to my normal self.

I stared back at them, my body drained of energy. I tried taking a step forward, only to stumble and hit the sand. I blacked out for the second time that day.

* * *

_~Author's Notes~_

_(1) This is something that I actually do. I am famous for it with my friends. XD_

_(2) I changed this myself. I know that the actual charm is Kairi's seashell thing, but I changed it for..well, you'll see._

_khgirl1770 _


	4. Dreams & Arguments

"You guys can't be careless like this anymore! She could have gotten seriously hurt!"

"Well, what were we supposed to do, Kairi? Riku said he found her hurt in the Realm of Darkness. When I got to the beach, she was awake—what are you so worked up about, anyway?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Sora! There's something about her—something important, that I can sense. So it would be nice if you both could treat her decently!"

Great. Just what I needed.

After passing out for the SECOND time that day, I wake up to find myself the subject of some ridiculous argument.

Just peachy.

I tried opening my eyes, but my brain wouldn't respond to its command. Next, I tried moving my arms, my hand, anything, but my entire body was sore and stiff, unable to move. My lips parted slightly, and I let out a sigh.

"Sora? Kairi?"

"WHAT?" Both the boy and the girl were agitated at the interruption, and they voiced their opinion loudly.

"She's awake."

The sound of hurried footsteps reached my ears, and a sweet, caring voice spoke to me.

"Aislinn? Can you hear me?"

I turned my head from side to side, only to hear a chuckle. My eyes shot open, my face angry at whoever had just laughed at me.

"Who the hell do you think y--" My eyes widened in alarm as I saw Riku, that damned egotistical boy with the mesmerizing green eyes, was less than six inches away from my face.

Well that was just too close. I reached a hand up, extended my index finger, and touching his chest, pushed him away from me. I rolled my eyes at him, grinning.

"Haven't you ever heard of personal space?"

Riku smirked. "No. I don't believe I have."

I sat up—only to be met with the sight of an entirely pink room. I was sitting on a large full size bed, a pink comforter clutched in my hands.

My breath caught in my throat. "Where am I?"

A girl with violet eyes, red hair and a kind smile reached a hand out towards me. "Just ignore them. They're just stupid guys. I'm Kairi. It's so nice to finally meet you. As to where you are, Riku carried you to my house when you passed out on the beach. You're in my room."

I shook her hand—albeit hesitantly—and laughed at her comment about Riku and the spiky-haired boy, whom I now presumed to be Sora. My eyes flicked over to Riku, a scowl on his face.

"Did she get to your ego this time, Riku?"

He glared at me, and I could only laugh again. Success. I had found his weak spot.

Sora practically bounded up to the bedside, his face optimistic. "Sorry about earlier, Aislinn. Didn't mean to make you—you know, whatever it is that happened. I'm Sora."

I smiled at him and swung my legs over the side of the bed, standing up a little too quickly.

I knew I was falling before I could feel it—with the way my feet stumbled over one another. I reached out a hand to grasp for something, anything that could catch me.

Which is why I was surprised when I landed straight into Riku's arms.

His strong hands wrapped around my forearms, pulling me close to his body. His touch was cold, but warm. Inviting, in a way. His silver hair mixed with my auburn strands, creating a sort of curtain around us. When I raised my eyes to look into his own, I felt like I was staring into my own reflection. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the edges of his eyes had a tint of black around them—the faintest hint of darkness among that never-ending sea of light. I swallowed, wondering when in the hell he was gonna let go of me. But what I thought next was strange.

_I didn't want him to let go..._

Pushing those thoughts out of my mind, I leaned away from him, and in response, he let go of me. My body instantly grew cold, like someone had smothered the flames in a raging fire.

Damn him and his insanely good looks.

Sora cleared his throat loudly, walked up to his best friend, and patted him on the back. He leaned over to whisper something into Riku's ear—only to find himself on the ground, clutching his stomach in agony seconds later.

Crap. Whatever Sora had said had upset him.

Kairi cast a stern glance in Riku's direction and walked up next to me. She turned to me, that same smile from before still plastered on her face. "Listen, I know you must be REALLY confused right now, and you're wondering what's happening to you....but—since you're staying here for a while, maybe Riku could show you around the islands."

I raised both my eyebrows, my stare disbelieving. "What? You expect me to--"

"Fine. Let's go, Aislinn." Riku walked over to me, grabbed my hand, towing me out of Kairi's room. I struggled against his grasp, thrashing wildly.

"What do you think you're doing? Let go of me!"

Riku didn't stop walking—we were out of Kairi's house now—and he merely laughed. "Remember what happened the last time you said that?"

I gave him another Death Glare, and finally relented to Kairi's wishes. I stuck my lower lip out, pouting, and Riku looked at me with an amused expression.

He smiled slightly, and I could have sworn I felt his grip tighten around my hand. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because I don't want to be here."

Riku stopped walking and turned to face me. "Why?"

I scoffed at him. "Why? Because I have a life, Riku. I have a home, a family, and friends. As much as I am freaked out right now about my 'powers', or whatever the hell they are, I want to go home. I want to go home and forget all of this ever happened. I don't want a Keyblade and I don't want to be the freakin' Princess of Eternal Winter or some crap. I want to be me. I want to be Ais--"

One of Riku's hands covered my mouth mid-sentence, and my eyebrows knit together in anger and confusion. "What—did you just say?"

"Mmmmf. Mf. Mmmmmf."

"Oh. Sorry." His hand uncovered my mouth so I was able to speak again.

"Princess of Eternal Winter."

"And where'd you hear that?"

"When I was in the--" What had Sora and Kairi called it? "When I was in the Realm of Darkness. Just as I got there, I heard a voice. The same voice from my dream..."

Now it was Riku's turn to look confused. "Dream?"

Crap. Crap. Crap times infinity.

"Damn it," I muttered. "Might as well tell you." I don't know why, but I looked up shyly at Riku as I spoke my next sentence. "Is there someplace we can talk? A-alone?"

Screw my over-reacting heart. Why the hell did it have to make me freakin' stutter?

Riku seemed taken aback at my question, but in less than a millisecond, he had recovered. "Y-yeah. Sure. Come with me."

He extended a hand to me, his face concerned. Why?

"Riku, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"N-nothing. Let's just go." I grabbed his hand, my fingers entwining with his. We ran down a cobblestone pathway, only to soon find sand beneath our feet. As I looked around in the light of the setting sun, I remembered this as the beach I had passed out on. As Riku tugged me towards wherever we were going, I realized that we were heading in the direction of the tiny island with the disfigured star-fruit bearing tree.

When we had finally reached our destination, Riku climbed to the top of the tree and soon held out his hand—again--to help me up. I grabbed it reluctantly and sat down beside him.

My eyes traveled to the sight of the setting sun—a mix of the colors red, orange, and pink shining in my green eyes. I took a deep breath, exhaled and faced Riku.

"What do you want to know, Riku?"

"You could start with your dream. That may clear things up a bit."

So I told him. About the stained glass pictures, and the weapons that were given to me. I told him about the beautiful magic staff and how it had completely mesmerized me. I told Riku about my three best friends, and how scary it had been when they hadn't been acting like themselves. When I got to the part about the black creatures with the shining yellow eyes, his muscles tensed, but he nodded at me to keep telling my story.

But when I got to the part about sinking into darkness, when I remembered the way that the element had clung to body like an ever-present disease, Riku looked at me with the most heartbreaking expression. I met his eyes questioningly, and was just about to tell him about the very end of my dream, when my thoughts became a mess and I stopped short in the middle of a sentence.

"Aislinn? Who saved you? Who did you see?"

My face flushed, but soon heated up. Damn those hormones.

"I—I saw..."

Could I say it? Would I say it? "I saw you. You saved me, Riku."

He didn't say anything for a while. Five minutes, forty-two seconds and one breath to be exact. Riku suddenly inhaled, and looked straight into my eyes. True, I was still mad at him, but at the same time, I was grateful to him for saving me. I took his hand and squeezed it lightly.

"Thank you for that, Riku."

He smiled at me and hopped down off the tree. I followed him, and we walked back in the direction of town. Suddenly, Riku laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just that I know what Kairi's gonna want to do when you get back home. She hasn't had anyone to go shopping with since Selphie moved to the other side of town."

"Shopping...?" I paused, mid-step and cocked my head to the side.

Shopping.

I smiled, showing my teeth. Falling into step with Riku, I grinned at him. "Shopping. I could go for that."

* * *

_Review please!_

_khgirl1770 =P_


	5. Telling His Story

Sure enough, Kairi practically pounced as soon as Riku and I entered the door. At first, all her begging and pleading started to get annoying. But when she threw in a puppy-dog pout and used a sad tone of voice, I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. Kairi and I were walking down the streets making our way towards the center of town when I suddenly remembered what time it was.

"Kairi? It's late...are you sure the mall will be open?"

She merely laughed, smiling at me. "Oh, don't worry, Aislinn! Shops around here _never _close. They're always open!"

"That's strange," I muttered. "Oh! Kairi, I don't have any money..."

"It's okay! I have plenty from when the King last visited. It was sort of like a gift from him. Don't worry, I'll pay for whatever you'd like."

"You sure?" I cast her an apologetic glance.

The same stern look from before settled on her face, and I remembered the wounded looks of Riku and Sora the last time her gaze had fallen on them. "Yes, Aislinn. I am perfectly sure."

We finally reached the mall, the large center of commerce buzzing with activity. Even though it felt like it was around midnight, crowds lingered in front of store windows, groups of best friends laughed while walking out the doors, people browsed through different shops and racks of clothing.

_Huh. It's like the city that never sleeps._

"Hey, Aislinn! Come here!" I followed Kairi's voice into a store that didn't look like the kind of clothes I would wear. Everything was either pink, purple, or beige. I _hated _beige.

Kairi jumped from rack to rack, astounded at all the dresses and skirts she found. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was turned up into a smile—her expression reminded me of a child in a candy store. She tried on an endless number of outfits, always seeking my approval. How did this one look? Was this too tight? Too big? Too small? Right color?

Finally, I grew tired, left Kairi and wandered among the endless rows of merchandise. True, I wanted to find something to wear that would help me blend in with the people around here, but it seemed luck wasn't on my side. Until I looked in the very back of the store—finding an entire rack with just one single dress on it.

It was black and had a skirt that looked like it would reach halfway down my thigh. It seemed zippers were everywhere, lining the pockets, replacing the buttons that should have been on the top of the dress, and even some on the side of the skirt to make it a bit more revealing. The middle of the dress was adorned with a white belt and various silver chains, including a small pouch at the side that was black as well. The inside of the dress contained a lacy aquamarine colored tank-top, the same shade as my eyes.

It was absolutely perfect. I hurried to try it on, and the dress seemed like it was made for me. Running to Kairi, I showed her the piece of clothing and she stared at it wide-eyed. "Aislinn. This is gorgeous! It's perfect for you! I am definitely getting you that! Go hurry up and put it back on...don't worry, I can talk to the cashier to let you wear it out of here. Ooh! I can't wait until Riku sees you in that!"

Before I could ask her what the hell she was talking about, she dashed away, her purchases clutched in her hands.

_Until Riku sees me in this...?_

What the hell did that mean?

I shrugged, brushing the comment off and hurried to put the dress back on. Before leaving the dressing room, I turned to the mirror, making sure everything looked right. The dress complimented my eyes wonderfully, and I even smiled at my reflection in the mirror. My auburn hair was still as straight as before, my bangs framing my face. But soon the image of _that girl_ came into my mind and I drew back from the mirror in fright.

There was no way that was me.

I took a deep breath, walked out of the dressing room and headed over to Kairi. She smiled at me kindly and linked arms with me, walking out of the store.

"I'm really glad you got that dress, Aislinn. You look really pretty."

"Thanks, Kairi. Did you find anything?"

She beamed at me, nodding her head. I then noticed the three shopping bags latched onto her other arm. "Of course I did! I'll have to show you when we get home!"

We made our way out of the mall, navigating through the large masses. When we reached the familiar cobblestone pathway, something tugged at my heart, telling me not to take another step. I gripped Kairi's arm tightly, pulling her back. "Wait. Do you sense that?"

She looked at me, puzzled. "What?"

"That...darkness. Something's coming." Kairi's eyes grew wide, and she threw her shopping bags to the ground, summoning a flowery Keyblade. It kind of shocked me at first, but I almost laughed out loud when I thought about it. _Fits her like a glove._

I summoned my own Keyblade, that ice cold feeling spreading through my veins again. I didn't change into _that girl _again, but my heart was beating ten miles a minute. Then, like lighting, they were there. Those same creatures that had haunted me in my dreams, those same monsters that had threatened to consume me, body and soul.

But this time it wasn't a dream. This was reality, and I had to wake up and face it. Kairi and I stood back to back, defending each other. The smallest Heartless—Shadows, the voice in my head told me—weren't that hard to defeat. It took me at least two swings to get rid of them. But soon, larger versions of these creatures—Neoshadows—appeared, and these were definitely not as easy as their counterparts. Kairi and I fought and fought, but for every one we destroyed, ten took its place. It seemed as though we would never win. That thought was solidified when Kairi's Keyblade was knocked out of her hands and she was thrown to the ground.

"Kairi!" I ran to her, my path blocked by about ten Neoshadows. "Get out of the way, you bastards!" I swung at them relentlessly, but more took their place. Movement by Kairi caught my eye, and I watched in horror as a Heartless stood over her still form, a claw raised to tear out her heart.

"No!" I slashed madly at a Heartless, creating a gap wide enough for me to sprint through. As I ran to Kairi, my heart sank as I knew I wouldn't make it to her in time.

_**Do you trust your own heart, Aislinn?**_

"Damn it! I don't have time for your riddles!"

_**Use the power of darkness. It will save you and Kairi. **_

Confused. That was the word to describe how I felt about that stupid voice's remark. But as confused as I was, I pushed that aside, trying to figure out what it meant.

_Darkness...?_

I closed my eyes for less than half a second, concentrating on that one word. I remembered the sticky, spiraling mass that had consumed me and made me feel cut off and alone. I remembered the colors that it was composed of—midnight black, and a soft shade of purple. And I could feel it in my heart.

I raised a hand up, palm facing the Heartless. "Darkness!"

A large orb of energy shot from my hand, impacting with the monster. I watched as it dissipated into thin air, a small pink heart floating up towards the sky. My Keyblade suddenly changed—instead of white and blue, it was now black and white. The newfound "power" I had discovered worked to my advantage, eliminating Heartless faster than I could with the Keyblade. An idea suddenly popped into my head as I slashed away at the creatures, twirling through the mass of them with my Keyblade.

_What if I could do the same thing I did before, on the beach? Except using darkness..._

Stopping in the middle of a crowd of Neoshadows, I dismissed my Keyblade and held my hands at my sides. I concentrated on the dark energy I had been using throughout the battle, channeling it from my heart to a usable form of energy. Suddenly, the whole entire area was engulfed in a black light, the Neoshadows fading from existence as the darkness—my darkness—overpowered them.

The blast faded, and the air around me no longer reeked of darkness. Funny. I could almost smell the element when it was around...wonder why?

"Kairi! Aislinn!" I looked up at the sound of Sora's voice, _happy _to see him and Riku running towards us. When they finally reached me, I spun around, only to find Kairi standing and walking towards us. I ran to her and hugged her briefly. "Kairi, are you all right?"

Kairi's eyes were horrified as she looked at me. "Aislinn, I don't think you should be asking _me _that question. What happened to you?"

"Huh?" I held out my arms—only to suppress a scream as I looked at all the deep cuts and bruises that lined them. I hadn't even felt the Heartless hurting me—all I was focusing on was saving Kairi and getting us out of that fight. Kairi closed her eyes, and I was suddenly enveloped in a green light—my pain gone.

"Riku and I were just about to come look for you guys when we saw this huge blast of energy off in the distance. I think it was...darkness." Sora eyed me cautiously. "Kairi, I know you can't use darkness, but Aislinn..."

I lowered my eyes, afraid to meet his cold stare. "I'm sorry, I didn't know! I was trying to save Kairi, and that stupid voice told me to use it! I'm sorry, I won't ever do it again..." Whatever I had done, it felt like I had committed a sin.

Wait, this wasn't right. I saved Kairi—where had Sora been? My face twisted in anger.

"Look, don't be mad at me, Sora! I was the one who saved Kairi five freakin' minutes before you showed up! I don't know where in the hell you were, but _I _was the one fighting down here for all of our lives! And then you come down here and glare at me like I'm a freakin' murderer! As if I haven't been through hell today!" I sank to my knees, tears threatening to leave my eyes. The pressure of this day had finally gotten to me.

First, I had been whisked away from my family and my best friends, only to find myself drugged by some guy whose name was Riku. Next, I find myself on a beach and nearly kill myself by using too much energy. Now, I had just battled what seemed like hundreds of Heartless, used the power of darkness and Sora was angry at me for something I didn't know I could do.

Kairi cast an angered glance at Sora, who was looking at her with a confused and clueless expression. I half-expected Riku to walk away from me, but to my complete surprise, he walked closer to me and kneeled in front of me, extending a hand. I looked up at him through a film of tears, and he nodded at me to take his offer. I grasped it quickly and he pulled me up, dragging me close to him. I didn't protest, I was too tired and weak to complain. Glaring at Sora, Riku pulled me away from both him and Kairi, walking towards the beach.

"Where—are we going?"

He smiled at me, placing an arm around my shoulders. My first reaction was to push his arm away, but I soon relaxed and let him hold me. "We're gonna go see an old friend of mine. He's waiting for us down there." Riku pointed towards the shoreline straight ahead of us, and I was astounded at the large ship that rested there. It was red and white—and huge. Suddenly, a platform lowered out of the bottom of the ship, and a creature that faintly resembled a Heartless walked out. I cringed, moving closer to Riku, but he just laughed, tightening his arm around me. "Relax. He's the last person—or should I say, mouse, that would ever hurt you."

I tilted my head to the side, confused. "Mouse?" As we drew closer, I saw that Riku was right—it was a small mouse, with large, round ears. His mouth was turned up into a smile and when I finally stood in front of him, he extended a hand to me. "Aislinn, it's so nice to finally meet ya! I'm King Mickey!"

For a second or two, I stood there, my mouth hanging open. Mice didn't usually talk, did they? But as quickly as I freaked out, I extended my own hand to him, shaking it gently. "Hi. It's nice to meet you too."

"So how do ya like the gummi ship, Aislinn?" I looked around the vast space, my mind still trying to comprehend that at the present moment, I was flying through space.

"Ummm....it's nice. Where exactly are we headed to?" Riku swiveled around in his chair to look at me, his expression thoughtful. "We're going to Disney Castle for a while."

"Okaaaay....why?"

It was now King Mickey who turned to me, his face downcast. "Welp, you see, Aislinn, because of Sora's previous battles fighting the darkness, he's learned to be wary of it. True, he is still very close friends with Riku, but all the same, Sora doesn't trust that power anymore. I don't really know why you have the ability to wield it, like Riku, but we're both gonna help ya, and see what's going on. But for now, we can't have you around Sora. It's not like he would do anything, but still, it'll be easier on you."

I turned to Riku, and I opened my mouth to ask him what he had to do with the darkness, but he mouthed one word, motioning me to stay quiet. "Later."

Turning back to King Mickey, a grateful smile appeared on my face. "Thank you, Your Majesty. That means a lot to me." The King only smiled back in return, turning back to the controls of the gummi ship. Riku looked out the window, obviously deep in thought, so I drew my knees up into the seat of the chair and leaned my head back to take a nap. As my eyes closed, I could faintly see the image of that girl—with the white dress and the aquamarine eyes--smiling back at me. I shuddered, and the image vanished. It would be a long time before I could finally accept that the reflection was indeed my own.

* * *

"Aislinn? Aislinn? Wake up."

"Hmm.....five more minutes..." A hand encircled my wrist, pulling me to my feet. My aquamarine eyes shot open, startled at the sudden movement. Riku looked down at me, that stupid smirk on his face. I wished I could smack him right then and there. But that was impossible, since Riku now had a hold on both of my wrists, and was gradually pulling me closer to him. Even while I was still half-asleep, I forced my eyes to remain open as I glared at him.

"You pull me one inch closer to you and I'll wipe that smirk right off your face." He was smiling now, and he let go of me. The same feeling of a fire being doused spread through me, and again, I resisted the urge to smack him. "Damn you, Riku. You have the biggest ego of anyone I've ever met. One of these days, someone's gonna walk up to you and beat you senseless, and I'll be watching, laughing my head off." I turned around, walking confidently out of the gummi ship, my head held high.

Laughing quietly to myself, I could feel Riku's eyes glaring at me. Yep. Insulting his ego was the perfect way to tick him off.

I realized I was in a large room with various machines and contraptions I couldn't put a name to. Apparently, we had reached the Castle. Suddenly, two small chipmunks raced out towards me, jumping up and down. "You must be Aislinn! The King's waiting for you in the Library. Where's Riku?"

It seemed that they had said this all in one breath, and I had to repeat their sentences a couple of times in my head to make sure I understood them correctly. "Umm....he's still in the gummi ship. Don't know what's wrong with him..." I looked down at the two animals innocently. "Where is the Library anyway?" I asked.

"Go out those doors," one of the chipmunks pointed to a large metal door shaped like—what else? A mouse. "Go through the courtyard until you get to the other set of doors, climb the steps, make a left, and continue straight down that hallway until you reach the brown wooden doors. The King should be waiting there."

I smiled at them, and ran off towards the courtyard.

When I reached the doors, I pushed them open, revealing a calm, peaceful place, with flowers and neatly trimmed bushes everywhere. They were oddly shaped—a lot of them resembling animals. The bush in the exact center of the garden was shaped exactly like the castle it was in, and when I looked up to the sky, I saw nothing but clear blue, and a few white, wispy clouds.

"It's nice, huh?" I spun around, my auburn hair flying in front of my face as I saw Riku walking towards me. Crap. He didn't look too happy. I lowered my head, the _tiniest _bit guilty for what I had said.

"Yeah. It's...pretty." There was an awkward silence between us for a few moments, but that soon passed when Riku asked me another question. "Where'd you get that outfit from?"

I looked down at my dress, noticing that the zippers and chains still sparkled like new. "Huh? Oh, this? I found it when Kairi took me shopping yesterday. I don't know...do you think it looks okay?"

I smirked when Riku looked at me closely, his eyes traveling over my body. I don't know why, but my stomach suddenly felt twisted and nervous, and my heart was beating faster with each second that he looked at me. I could feel my face heating up, but I cussed myself out enough to where the blush didn't appear. At least, I hope it didn't. Riku's eyes were now on my face, staring at me intently, just like he had when I had changed into that mysterious girl the other day. My eyebrows scrunched together, and I looked at the silver-haired boy questioningly. "What's wrong?"

Riku shook his head, as if coming out of some sort of trance. He walked over to me and took my hand, leading me to the doors the chipmunks had told me about. "Nothing." He hesitated a bit before continuing, and I was furious at myself for waiting anxiously for his opinion.

_What the hell am I thinking? You're so stupid, Aislinn.....stupid, stupid, stupid..._

"You look really pretty."

_Wait. Say what?_

"Huh?"

Riku chuckled, and was able to look me in the eyes this time. "I said, you look really pretty. Whether you take it as a compliment or an insult is your choice..."

I snapped myself back into reality, and glared at him. "Well, you know, maybe I am actually nice, and maybe if you would deflate that ego of yours just a tad bit, then maybe I would be a bit nicer to you. I'm not really mean, you know. Not once people get to know me..."

"Well, maybe if you would give me a chance to get to know you..." Riku trailed off, expectantly waiting for me to finish his thought. I let go of his hand, and crossing my arms over my chest, I walked off without him. "Hmph. You're just gonna have to see for yourself if I give you that chance. And when I say _if_, I mean _if. _Shouldn't we be getting to the library, and have this 'deep conversation' later?" It was then that I noticed that Riku wasn't by my side anymore; he was now walking in the opposite direction.

"Sure, Aislinn...but...you're going the wrong way."

My steps abruptly halted. Damn it. He was right.

I spun around, an angry, embarrassed look on my face as I stalked past Riku. He seemed to be holding in laughter, but I ignored it as best as I could.

Riku and I finally reached the library and a delighted smile lit up my face as I took in the sight of hundreds of books lining the walls. They seemed crammed into shelves that were as high as the castle itself, each one of a different color. I could have stayed here all day and read to my heart's content. But I sighed, knowing I would probably never have time.

_So much to do, so little time..._

The King was already there, waiting for us. He motioned for both Riku and I to take a seat, and I humbly obliged. Even after that nap, I was exhausted.

"Aislinn, I know ya must be tired, but I need you to try to tell me everything between what happened before you entered the Realm of Darkness to now."

I sighed, took a deep breath, and began my story.

* * *

Finally. It was over. I hoped and prayed that I had just told "my story" for the last freakin' time. King Mickey stood in front of me, not saying a word, a thoughtful look on his face. His eyebrows were knit together, and he seemed to be concentrating. Suddenly, he walked over to one of the shelves and pulled a medium-sized, black covered book out. He walked over and handed it to me. I looked at it curiously, and noticed that the insignia on the front cover was the same as the Keychain on my Keyblade.

"If I'm right, this might just be the book that'll help ya. Now, it won't tell ya everything you need to know, but it'll help out a lot. I can tell by the look on Aislinn's face that you both are beat. I'll see you both in the morning."

I cast the King an apologetic smile and followed Riku out of the library. Clutching the book close to me, I turned to Riku, a perplexed look on my face. "Where are we gonna sleep?"

Riku merely smiled at me. "Come on. You don't think I'm that stupid, do you? The King already told me. I practically know this place like the back of my hand."

I rolled my eyes, and followed Riku into the long, dark hallway that stretched before us. While walking, I remembered the question I had wanted to ask him in the gummi ship some time ago.

"Riku?"

"Hmm?"

"When we were in the gummi ship....the King said something about you being able to control the darkness too...and how Sora had accepted it because of you but was still wary of it. What exactly did he mean?"

Riku hesitated, and for a brief moment, his eyes grew sad. "It's—it's a really long story...you wouldn't want to hear it anyways..."

I jumped in front of him, and he pulled back in surprise at my sudden action. "That's not true. Why won't you tell me? Besides, you said you'd tell me later. Whatever happened to keeping promises?"

"I didn't--"

"Excuses. So. Are you gonna tell me or not?" The silver-haired boy paused but grabbed my hand, pulling me towards a door that was painted a light sky blue.

_Why is everything around this place so similar to my Keyblade...?_

When we were both inside the room, Riku closed the door, locking it. I was a bit startled at his actions, but soon noticed the room we were in. The walls were painted a midnight blue, the light from the moon illuminating the space eerily. A large four-poster bed with an entirely black frame was in the center, the headboard pushed back against the wall. There was a bay window overlooking the castle garden, and I could see the point in the sky where the end of the world met nothing but an empty and dark horizon. Forgetting my regular attitude of disregard and anger, I squealed with glee at the sight of the room, and kicking my shoes off, I dive-bombed onto the bed. My face met the cool softness of silk navy blue sheets, and as I breathed in deeply, I caught the scent of roses. This place was like heaven already.

Riku wasn't trying to hold his laughter back now, and the sight of a smile on his face surprised me. This wasn't like his other smiles, the ones that had seemed forced and cold. No...this one—this one was different. He actually seemed happy now, watching me act childish. I smiled back at him in return, and his eyes softened with my unexpected gaze. I sat up, leaning my back against the headboard and raised one eyebrow at the boy. "So, that story?"

He still didn't stop smiling, even as he walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. My stomach twisted at this—from fear or anxiousness, I didn't know. Riku lowered his head, and spoke in a quiet voice. "You sure you wanna hear this?"

I nodded confidently. "Yes."

"I grew up on Destiny Islands, and I've always been best friends with Sora. We used to do everything together, and we were always competitive. One day, Sora found this girl on the beach during a meteor shower—it turned out to be Kairi, and all three of us became really good friends. Years passed—Sora and Kairi were both fourteen and I was fifteen. We had been planning to set sail on a raft to go see if there were other worlds..." Riku laughed at this and began again, "..but it was already too late. I had already—given into the darkness. The Islands were destroyed because of me." There was a certain pain in my heart that caused tears to form in my eyes at the sound of his voice. I looked at him comfortingly, waiting patiently for him to continue.

"I wound up in Hollow Bastion, and was taken in by a witch named Maleficent, who used the darkness in my heart to control me. Sora and I ended up clashing because of Kairi, who ended up being a Princess of Heart." Riku noticed my confused look and explained. "Princesses of Heart are seven girls who have no amount of darkness in their hearts. When Kairi lost her heart, she didn't become a Heartless, she merely looked...asleep. Sora sacrificed himself for her; he ended up being the one that held Kairi's heart. Kairi saved him from the darkness, and went on to defeat me. I had eventually changed into the form of the Heartless that had consumed me—a darkness named Ansem. Sora overcame his power, and together, he and I locked the door to Kingdom Hearts—the heart of all worlds. I had to stay in the realm of darkness with the King, while Sora stayed in the realm of light. The King and I were eventually separated, and I soon found myself in Castle Oblivion, a stronghold of Organization XIII. This organization was comprised of thirteen Nobodies—beings that are created when a strong-hearted person becomes a Heartless. The shell that is left behind starts to act with the will of its own, and the strongest Nobodies went on to form the Organization. Battling both them and the darkness in my heart, I finally found my way out with the help of the King. Together, he and I traveled the Road to Dawn..." Riku smiled at this, and I wondered what he was remembering. "A year passed, and I learned that Sora had fallen asleep in order to regain the memories he had lost in Castle Oblivion. In order for Sora to wake up again, he needed his Nobody, Roxas. In order for me to capture him, I had to convert to the darkness and took the form of Ansem. Roxas and Sora were eventually reunited, and Sora continued with his journey—primarily focused on taking down the Organization. When he and I found each other again, along with Kairi, Sora and I defeated Xemnas, their leader, and went back home to the Islands. I had been—wandering through the darkness when I found you."

I was rendered speechless at Riku's story. My mind tried to wrap around the fact that this—boy had been whisked away from his home at such a young age, controlled by the darkness, only to find himself using it again a year later. He had overcome so many obstacles and gone through so much, that I didn't know where to start.

"I..."

"It's a lot to take in, isn't it?" I could only nod my head in response, and Riku reached a hand up, ruffling the top of my head. "Don't worry. It's made me stronger. You know..." He stood up, taking a few steps towards the door before he continued. "Darkness isn't such a bad thing after all. I've learned that because of this journey. If you keep your heart strong, it won't get a hold on you. And believe me, Aislinn," Riku paused to look at me with a heartwarming smile, "...after what I've seen today, you're definitely strong enough. But, if ever a time comes when you feel like you're falling...don't worry. I'll be there..."

My breath caught in my throat as he opened the door and spoke his last words.

"I'll be there to catch you."

* * *

_.:Author's Notes:._

_There! He finally said it! I was wondering when I was gonna throw that in there...._

_Review please!_

_khgirl1770 =P_

_P.S. This turned out to be nine pages long and took me two whole days to write down! Took a long time, but I'm glad I got this posted. _


	6. s h a t t e r e d

_A mist surrounded me. That's all I could comprehend. I floated, unsuspended, in the middle of a white space of more nothingness. I was still the same as I had been before I fell asleep. I looked around, hoping for another sign of life in this dream. Three other girls were there, their eyes closed. One had hair the color of the greenest grass, her long, flowing dress the same exact color. Green vines wrapped around her feet, forming shoes. The second girl had the blondest hair I had ever seen in my life--she was wearing a pale yellow dress that had a knee length skirt. Her shoes were much different than the first girl--they were knee-high, yellow four-inch heel boots. But the last girl was more frightening than the others. She had flaming red shoulder length hair that was cut at a strange definite angle. Bangs covered her right eye, and in her hands she held two large swords with flaming red handles. Her halter top was the same color as her hair, along with her pleated mini-skirt and four-inch heel red boots. _

_This girl, among all of them, scared the hell out of me. _

_Why?_

_Simple._

_She was fire. _

_The blond girl was lightning._

_The green haired girl was earth._

_And me?_

_I was ice. _

_I looked down, and gasped when I saw I had changed back into my "element". My Keyblades appeared in my hands, looking like they were formed out of pure ice. My body felt numb, but there was a deeper tingling sensation that overtook my mind._

_The urge to fight. _

_A hissing sound reached my ears, and I found out that I was not the only one awake. Three pairs of eyes bore into my own, all of them conveying hatred and loathing. But only one pair wanted to kill me._

_That pair belonged to the red-haired, fire-wielding girl whose swords had now fully burst into flames. The right corner of her mouth turned up into a smirk, and in the next second, she was charging towards me, weapons raised to strike me down. I raised my Keyblades to defend myself, and the sound of metal upon metal made me grit my teeth in frustration. Her power far outweighed mine. There was no way I could win. I was screwed. _

"_I've waited a long time for this, Princess."_

_Her voice was just as scary as her body._

_Vines wrapped around my neck, cutting off my air supply. They dragged me backwards, and I struggled to break free. My Keyblades disappeared--I had been rendered defenseless. I could hear buzzing electricity just above my head and I squeezed my eyes shut as I waited for the pain. Sure enough, it arrived--in the form of five bolts of lighting that coursed through my veins. I screamed--I know I did--but it only died away as I felt myself slipping deeper into the nothingness I had first awoken in. The pressure on my neck loosened, and I was suddenly face to face with the red-haired girl. That same damn smirk from before was still on her face, and she raised her sword in front of me for the second and last time. _

"_I guess my wait is over."_

_I screamed and closed my eyes._

_I was going to die._

_

* * *

_

The scream that escaped my lips in the next second was so loud that I was astonished that it even came from me. My breath came in long ragged gasps, the navy blue comforter clutched tightly in my hands. Raising a hand up to wipe the sweat off my forehead, I jumped off my bed, grabbed the snowflake covered book that King Mickey had given me and ran out my bedroom door to try and find my way to the library. There had to be something in that huge mass of paper and words that revealed something about my dreams. I couldn't go on like this. I'd end up going crazy.

After about seven minutes, thirty-five seconds, and five million stumbles later, I found my way to the rough wooden doors I had entered in only hours ago. They creaked open, and I hoped that I hadn't woken anyone up already. Knowing Riku, he was probably playing watchdog or something.

Closing the doors, I tiptoed over to a large comfy-looking mahogany chair that looked like it was made for me. Instead of the electrical lights that I was used to, candles lit up the space. Okay. I could live with that.

Settling down in the chair, I ran my fingers over the worn leather cover, the book's binding threatening to come loose from age. The snowflake, however, shined brightly, almost as if it had just been placed there. Taking a deep breath, I opened the cover and let my eyes scan the first page.

* * *

_E__lements are the source of all of the worlds' power. They breathe life into them, they are life themselves. There are various elements that worlds are composed of. These are, in no particular order, fire, earth, lightning, ice, light, and darkness. The last two elements play no active role in world borders; rather, they keep the forces of darkness--and light, for that matter--at bay. The first four, however, have always played a large role in peace...and chaos._

_**Fire**_

_Fire is unmerciful, it consumes everything in its path with no discretion whatsoever. It destroys and creates, it lives and dies, but it cannot be trusted. No matter what it does, or how it acts, fire is always lethal. For the past three millennia, the spirit of fire has been embodied by a former princess of a long forgotten country named Adamina. She was once a kind and caring girl, until her castle home was destroyed--along with her family--in a terrible fire. Unable to escape the blaze, Adamina let herself be consumed by the flames. She became the spirit of the feared and well-known element. Her current whereabouts are unknown, but she is recently searching for the spirit embodying ice._

_**Earth**_

_Earth is a lenient element, but is easy to underestimate. It may seem quiet and uncaring, but it knows every aspect of its opponent: whether it be a fellow spirit or a lowly human. For the past three millennia, the spirit of earth has been embodied by a peasant girl from the early form of Traverse Town named Chloé. (1) She was lost from the world during a terrible earthquake, from which she was recovered from by the earth spirit and granted eternal life. Not much else is known about this girl, except that she joins the fire spirit on her search for the ice spirit._

_**Lightning**_

_Lightning is unpredictable and holds much power over earth itself. It can strike anywhere, at any time, and one should always be on their guard against it. For the past two decades, the lighting spirit has been embodied by one of the two princesses of Radiant Garden named Chryssa. During a voyage across the ocean in another far off world, Chryssa's boat was caught in a terrible summer storm, and she was killed by a rare strike of lighting that hit the deck of the boat. Her sister, Arlene (2), was taken into darkness a short time afterwards, and has not been seen or heard of since. Chryssa was saved by the lightning spirit and also searches for the girl who embodies ice._

_

* * *

_

I looked up from the book, the light from the nearest candle flickering in my eyes. What was this? More importantly, what would the next paragraph say? Would I be able to read this? Should I?

"Damn it," I muttered. "Just read the stupid thing. You're gonna have to face it sooner or later."

Taking a deep breath, I focused on the last paragraph, biting my tongue as I read each and every word.

* * *

_**Ice (Winter)**_

_Ice is a very beautiful, yet deadly element. It is considerably more powerful than the Earth spirit, or even the Lightning spirit. But its powers are equally matched with that of fire; she is her single opponent. Recently, the Ice spirit has been granted the ability to wield a Keyblade, but how this came about, no one knows. The Ice spirit is currently embodied by the Princess Aislinn Carine (3), who was the original Princess of Heart for Destiny Islands. Her parents were killed by the fire spirit was she was only five years old, and Aislinn was sent to an entirely new dimension in order to escape her wrath. She has the power to wield Ice and Darkness, and is one of the few people who are able to walk in Twilight. Her power contains many different forms, but these can only be unlocked using the power of the Keyblade._

_

* * *

_

_"...face it sooner or later...."_

_"Power sleeps within you..."_

_"Whatever you say, Aislinn...."_

_"I promise, I'm not gonna hurt you..."_

_"Oathkeeper."_

_"I'll be there to catch you..."_

_"An entirely new dimension..."_

_"Princess Aislinn Carine..."_

_"Do you trust your own heart, Aislinn?"_

I shot up from the chair, the tattered book falling to the floor with a loud thud. Tears clouded my eyes and my hands were shaking. What other things did hell have in store for me? I remained motionless for about another ten seconds, my hands stretched out in front of me as if I were trying to hold onto something. Suddenly, I knew who I needed. Strangely, I didn't want to need him.

"Riku..." I whispered.

I took a few steps toward the door and with cold hands, I pried it open.

"Riku." My voice was stronger now; it faintly echoed down the hallway.

My feet took me to places that I didn't know I was going to, and the walls seemed to be speeding by. Huh. Was I running?

"Riku! Ri--!" In the next moment, I collided with something and felt a strong hand wrap around my waist. I took in a sharp breath, my heart pounding with the fear that the man with blue hair and demented yellow eyes had come for me again. I whimpered softly, sounding like a complete and total loser, and cussed myself out again for wishing Riku was there.

"Aislinn?" Two things occurred to me simultaneously. One: whoever had caught me obviously wielded a Keyblade, due to the sound of electricity that reached my ears. Two: that person was Riku.

I looked up at him with stunned eyes, my mind swimming with the thoughts that had been occupying it only moments before. I tried to speak, but my throat was thick with tears. He looked back at me with a worried and confused expression, and those damn gorgeous eyes of his weren't helping my emotions at all. Before I knew it, both of my arms were wrapped tightly around his torso, my hands digging into his back. My head was pressed against his chest and I was crying. I was crying real tears of anger and pure fear.

"What's...wrong?" Riku whispered. His arms wrapped around me hesitantly, like he wasn't sure what to do. I couldn't blame him. He didn't even know why I was crying.

"The--the damn b-book! I r-read it! I'm n-not A-Aislinn! Not the one y-y-you know!"

"What are you talking about?" His grip around me grew tighter.

"She's g-gonna kill me! She'll f-find m-me!"

"Who?" Was it just me, or was there a sense of urgency in his voice?

"A-Adamina, damn it!" My sobs were quieting now and I let go of Riku as quickly as I could. His arms, however, stayed on my hips. He stared at me in shock and I averted my eyes from his. Had I made any sense at all?

One of Riku's eyebrows arched up in confusion. "The fire spirit?"

My mouth fell open in shock. "You knew?"

Riku's eyes grew wide. He had obviously said too much. "Well, I--"

"If you don't tell me the truth right now, I'll kill you. I swear I will." Ice spread through my veins again.

"Come on. You didn't expect King Mickey to leave me in the dark, did you?"

After about sixteen seconds of silence between us, I slapped that stupid, egotistical, spiteful sixteen-year old boy with those beautiful aquamarine eyes in the face. I backed away from him slowly, heading towards my room. I was no longer sad. I was angry.

"And you didn't tell me? You left me to find out on my own?"

He didn't answer, so I continued.

"How could you? Why would you make me suffer like that? Do you just want to see me die at Adamina's hand? Do you want to let her ki--"

I didn't complete my sentence because in the next second I was flat on my back, rendered immobile by a sudden blast of darkness.

"Don't ever say that. Ever. Especially when you have no idea what you're talking about." Riku's voice was hard and cold, and suddenly, he was gone. I was alone.

I got up, brushed myself off and refused to let anymore tears fall from my eyes. I had cried enough for the day. I was done feeling sorry for myself. When I got back to my room, though, that promise faded. The last thing I remember was the smell of roses from my comforter and seeing Riku's angry face when I asked him if he wanted to see me die.

* * *

_**[a u t h o r ' s n o t e s]**_

_(1) pronounced chlo-ay. I looked this name up. It means "green shoot". See? Earth. =]_

_(2) Arlene. L a r x e n e. Haha. Like my little twist there? =P Note: This is only one possible combination, but it's my favorite._

_(3) Aislinn Carine, when translated, means "beloved dream". I really like her name. =]] _

_Adamina even freaks me out! And she's my own OC!!!_

_Oh, and it's not just Chloé's name that I looked up. Adamina means "red" in Scottish (I liked this name better than any of the ones for fire.)_

_ Chryssa means "golden flower", which is an English pet (=]) form of the Latin name Chrysanta._

_Well, that's kind of a depressing place to leave off on. Sorry for the long wait between chapters. I recently had a broken finger, and after that, more school. I've also been busy with video editing, so I've kind of had my schedule full. If you haven't read this already, my other story has currently been discontinued due to disappointment in the plot and a lack of time. Don't worry, I'll rewrite it again. I just went back and read it recently...and I sound like a third grader. So. I'm going to fix that....but don't expect it back until MAYBE summer. I don't know what I'm gonna do with it yet. In the meantime, please continue to read and review this story!_

_forever & always_

_l i g h t_

_.: All this time spent in vain, wasted years, wasted days....without love gone wrong, lifeless words carry on:._


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